the code of the fourth
by h1999l
Summary: Mistypaw dreams of being a medicine cat. When she becomes an apprentice, she is shocked. She knows, almost as if Starclan had told her, that she couldnt hurt a cat. Then she gets a vision... A cat of mist has the power to hurt or to heal...
1. A dream is crushed

Prologe:

A small gray she-kit creeped out of a den. She glanced back at the den, and seeing that no cat was following her, she sighed, relieved. She looked up at the bright moon for a heartbeat. It was almost a half moon, which was also the day she would become a apprentice. She padded across the clearing, untill she reached another den. This den had a jumble of scents mixed into one. The medicine cat den. The kit's favorite place to be. She watched from the shadows as a dark gray tom sorted the herbs. She knew a few of them, spider web, honeyfern, poppy seeds… Which was saying a lot for a kit. She secretly envied the tom who sorted the herbs. He had the life she secretly wished for, yearned for, hoped for. She wanted to heal, to help, to save lives. She wanted to become a medicine cat.

Mistkit's POV

I awoke from my dreamless slumber to find my brother, Thornkit, nearly on top of me. I pushed him off and struggled to my paws. "What do you want Thornkit?" I growled, annoyed. He was literally bouncing with excitement. "Brightheart said that our ceremony is today!" He squealed. Now that got my attention. I perked up my ears. "Wow…" I mumbled. I would be sleeping in the medicine cat den tonight!

"Just think, tomorrow we'll be exploring the territory with our mentors!" He said in one breath. "Yeah…" I replied, my thoughts on something else. I'd get to see all the good places to find herbs… Brightheart entered the den, smelling of fresh kill. She must of just eaten. Thornkit jumped up. "Its time for your ceremony!" My mother announced. I let out a squeal of glee, which, for me, was completely out of character. I usually never got excited, I was too tired from my mightnight outings to have the energy to squeal.

I let Brightheart give my pelt one last lick before proudly following Thornkit out of the nursery. "LET ALL CATS WHO ARE OLD ENOUGH TO CATCH THEIR OWN PREY…." Our clan leader began the familiar words that every Thunderclan cat knew by heart. IT signaled the beginning of a clan meeting. I walked with my brother to the highledge. Many cats were allready gathered. I searched for one cat. Jayfeather. I was surprised to find that the medicine cat wasn't there. _Mabye… No! I have to become A Medicine cat! _I thought. Finally, just as the last patrol arrived from the forest, the gray tom stepped out of the medicine cat's den. I let my pelt relax. So I was going to be a medicine cat!

"Warriors of Thunderclan…" Firestar began the ritural words. "Two kits have reached their sixth moon. It is time that they were made apprentices." I could almost see the excitement bouncing off Thornkit's pelt. I felt the same, but for a different reason. "Thornkit, Mistkit, will you please step forward. We stepped up to the highledge. I was gleaming with pride and exictement. "Thornkit, for now untill you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Thornpaw. Your mentor will be Berrynose." I watched as my brother touched noses with the warrior. I was next. "Mistkit." I gulped. This is it. "You will be known as Mistpaw untill you gain your warrior name." _Warrior name? No…_ "Your meantor will be Brambleclaw." I froze. I. Wasn't. Going. To. Be. A. Medicine. Cat. I unconsioually touched my nose to the warrior's. "I will show you the territory after the meeting." The deupity said, but I barely heard him._ I'm not a medicine cat… _My pelt stood on end when I came to another sudden relisation: _I'm going to have to hurt other cats! _Somehow, that thought bothered me more than the fact that I wasn't going to be a warrior. I knew, as if Starclan had told me theirselves, that I could not hurt a cat, not even if they were from Shadowclan. I knew that I coundn't be a warrior.


	2. Thoughts

"This is the boarder between thunderclan and shadowclan…" Brambleclaw announced as we neared a line of trees. I could smell the thunderclan scent on one side, and another… pecuilar scent on another. Thornpaw wrinkled his nose. "Eww! That stinks!" He exclaimed. I didn't think it smelled too bad. I'm not saying that it didn't smell bad, just not… good. Our mentors chucleled. "That is the scent of Shadowclan." Berrynose replied. Thornpaw tasted the air, and closed his eyes as if trying to memorize it. I realised that I should be doing that too, but I wasn't in the mood. My first day as an apprentice and I was already tired of hearing how fishy Riverclan was, how proud and traitorous windclan was, and how bad shadowclan was. I hated when our mentors would tell us about the battles, how this-cat clawed this-cat's back. The thought of injuring another horrified me, almost to the point where I thought I would faint.

I sighed and followed Brambleclaw throught the undergrowth. I was depressed. I now had to become a warrior, fight and hurt cats. No… Why? Was all I could think. I just hope we don't do any battle training… I gulped. I could not, fight another cat. Thunderclan or not. "Mistpaw?" Thornpaw's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. "Huh?" I asked, dazed. I blinked, and shook my head. "Sorry. What did you say?" My brother shook his head. "Your acting weird today Mistpaw…" He muttered. "Anyways, Brambleclaw says that we should be getting back to camp now." I blinked. Finally! I wouldn't have to hear any more stories about battles! "Oh." I stated. My brother rolled his eyes. "Come on! Its getting dark!" He turned and raced off into the undergrowth. I realized for the first time that the sun was now going down. I had been too upset to notice. I padded back to camp behind my mentors. Mabye a tommorow would be better. Maby…

'


	3. Worries

"Mistypaw!" I felt someone poke me. "Brambleclaw is taking you to the training hollow!" I awoke to see one of the older apprentices, Flamepaw, at my face, I nodded, unenthusically. "Fine." I half-growled as I rose to my paws. I stretched and padded out of the den. I could see Brambleclaw by the fresh kill pile sharing a mouse with squirrelflight. They had gotten back together when I was about two moons old, after Squirrelflight became pregnant.

I walked up to the pile and selected a mouse. I went over to the other apprentices and sat down. They were talking.

"Cloudtail let me go on dawn patrol!" Reedpaw exclaimed, his eyes shining. "We scented a fox!" The other apprentices oohed and aaaahed. I sighed. I just hoped that the fox wouldn't harm anycat. I quickly finished my mouse and walked over the my mentor. Squirrelflight was grooming his fur. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. "Mistpaw!" She purred. I wagged my tail happily. When Brightheart had caught greencough, Squirrelflight had taken care of me. She was one of my favorite cats in the camp.

"Hi Squirrelflight." I replied. I glanced at Brambleclaw. "Flamepaw said you wanted to take me to the training hollow." My voice was dull and expressionless. Squirrelflight looked at me curiously. "Yep. I just got to assign a few more patrols than we'll go." The dark tom rose up and padded off to a group of warriors. I sighed. I that would be me one day… I turned to go.

"Mistpaw." I turned to see Squirrelflight. She tapped her tail on the ground next to her. "Sit/" I sat. "Now, What's wrong, Mistpaw? Your mother says you've been rather depressed lately." I hissed. It was just like Brightheart to go nosing her nose where it didn't belong. "I-its nothing…" I replied. I was releived to see Brambleclaw start padding towards the entrance. "Oops, sorry, got to go. See ya!" I blurted, then rushed away. I could feel Squirrelflight's concerned gaze burning into the back of my pelt. "Ready?" Brambleclaw asked. I nodded. As ready as I'll ever be.


	4. The accident Warning: A little longer

I grunted as I was thrown off Brambleclaw. Again. I could not and would not, master the moves he taught me. My paws were good for healing, not fighting! It had been three moons as a warrior apprentice, and I still had the skills of a kit. "Lets try one more time…" Brambleclaw sighed. I started to nod, when my vision was suddenly clouded with mist. All sound was blocked out I couldn't hear. I heard a voice.

"Mist holds the power to hurt or to heal…. Choose your path Mistpaw…" Then, like that the vision was gone. It must have been a vision from Starclan! I shook my head. Starclan just doesn't sent visions to anycat, at least, none that I've heard of.

But the strange voice still rang in my ears… _Mist has the power to hurt or to heal… _What was Mist? I shook it off. I had training to do.

I drew back on my hunches prepared to spring. But I miscaulcated my jump. I soared over the deupty and landed with a thud to the ground. I hissed, annoyed. "I'm just no good!" I complained. Brambleclaw sighed. I could tell that he silently agreed with me. "It comes with time..." He replied. I sighed and stared at the ground. _A medicine cat wouldn't have to battle… _"I'll tell you what. You can go hunting, with Brightpaw and Thornpaw and meet me back at camp. Understand." Brambleclaw asked. I nodded meekly. Hunting. I hated that too.

Brambleclaw walked out of the training hollow. I stared at the other two apprentices. Brightpaw jumped up. "Lets battle first!" He yowled. I shook my head. "No, Brambleclaw said…" I replied. Thornpaw hissed in annoyance. "We will! But I want to impress Berrynose tomorrow!" My brother complained. I sighed. "Fine. One quick battle-" Before I could finish my sentence, I was rammed into by my brother. He lashed out his claws and whipped them at my hind legs. "Oww!" I yelped as I felt the sting of battle wounds for the first time.

My legs buckled and I fell to the ground. In a heartbeat, my brother had me pinned. "I won!" He said proudly. I shrugged him off and rose to my feet. "Yep." I replied gloomily. "Fun."

"Why are you so upset?" Brightpaw asked. "Its just battle training." I whipped around. "Just _Battle _training." I growled. "What more could a cat want then making other cats bleed?" Both the toms winced. "Mistpaw… You know its not like that…" Thornpaw gasped. I growled in response. "To a warrior, its not, but to a cat whose grown up watching Jayfeather save lives…" I drew in a breath. "You don't understand. No cat understands." I fought to keep the emotion out of my eyes. "Mistpaw…" Brightpaw spoke.

"Leave me be!" I hissed, and turned and fled into the woods. I could feel their shocked faces burning into my pelt, but I kept running. And running and running and running. Till I reached the place. A hollow I'd found when I'd first become a apprentice. I slowed as I approached the familiar trees. I paused to make sure no foxes or badgers had invaded my place. There was none, but what I scented… was cats. Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing. What were Thunderclan's medicine cat and two of its warriors doing here?

I peered into the clearing, careful to keep myself hidden. The last thing I wanted was for the three to catch me. I heard them speaking. "Ivyclaw? Not her too!" Dovewing cried. "Jayfeather, are you sure that it was her that you saw?" _Saw? Jayfeather's blind…_ Jayfeather shook his head. "I know what I saw. The dark forest is growing." He growled. His words were followed by silence. I wondered what he ment by the dark forest. Shadowclan maybe?

Lionblaze broke the silence with a growl. "If they attack soon…" Dovewing growled. "I will not let the clans be destroyed!" I jumped. Clans… Destroyed? Jayfeather hissed. "Starclan will not let that happen. If only…" I wondered why he sounded so… far away… "We need the fourth." Lionblaze whispered. The other two cats nodded. "Not only that, but I need an apprentice… just in case…" Jayfeather sighed. I flicked my ear. Maybe I wasn't destined to kill…

"Who do you think you'll pick?" Lionblaze muttered. Jayfeather looked at his brother. "Maybe one of the kits…" I backed away. Kits? That means… Not me. I turned and quickly walked away. I wanted to heal. I decided that I'd tell somecat tommorow. I turned, pleased with my decision. With my sudden happiness, I forgot to smell the area before I entered. Big mistake. I walked right into the claws… of a fox.

I jumped back, and made the mistake of stepping on a stick. CRACK. The fox turned around, It's golden eyes glisting, hungrily. I coward back in fear. _Starclan please help me! _My eyes widened as I saws the fox unsealth its claws. I despritally racked my brain for something- anything Brambleclaw might of said about foxes. I gulped as I remembered: _Foxes will tear you apart just for the fun of it. Never go out alone when one is scented in the territory. _

I knew I was done for. The fox swiped out a claw, hitting me in the chest. A wave of pain made me yowl. I narrowed my eyes and managed a weak hiss. I could feel fresh blood oozing through my wound. Any other apprentice would of fought back, but I did not. I had never hurt a living thing once in my life, and I wasn't going to start now. The fox lashed out again, landing this blow on my back. I crumbled. I saw black spots in my vision. I yelped. Pain seared through my body, making me weak. The fox hissed, bringing back its paw. This was it. The last thing I saw before the blackness over took me was a golden streak ram into the fox. Then I passed out.


End file.
